[Magdalen] Things our Fathers Loved.

[Cantor03 at aol.com]

Around the 4th of July holiday (Independence Day, USA) I dust off my  
recording
of Charles Ives (arguably the greatest USA "classical" composer) songs  sung
ever so well be the late Jan DeGaetani.  One Ives song, in particular,  
reminds
me of Independence Days of the past.  Here is the text:
 

I think there must be a place in the soul
all made of  tunes, of tunes of long ago;
I hear the organ on the Main Street  corner,
Aunt Sarah humming Gospels; Summer evenings,
The village cornet  band, playing in the square.
The town's Red, White and Blue,
all Red,  White and Blue; Now! Hear the words
But they sing in my soul of the things  our Fathers loved. 

We had a Village square that was actually the Court  House Square complete 
with an hexagonal screened in band stand.  I spent  many a Saturday night  
and July 4th in this glorified gazebo playing the tuba  with the village 
band,  
and all just one block from my family  home. 

The gathered crowd was always appreciative,  and there were the 
pop-corn and ice cream sellers doing a  land-office business. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_DeGaetani 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ives 


David Strang.